A Year of Milestones
Forgive me for being quite personal with today’s post, but I think that, by the end, you’ll see why I wanted to share this.
The year 2024 is one that our family has thought about for a while. As with so many other things in life, you realize something will happen in a few years and, then, it seems like it will never get there. Until it does. And, for our family, here we are.
In a period of about 10 weeks, our family will have two milestones, Lord willing. And they are two things that remind us of some valuable lessons for marriage.
First, on June 5, Leah and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage. While we will be helping with the final night of VBS on our actual anniversary date, we plan to leave the next day and go away for several days to celebrate and enjoy this milestone.
Then, in early August, Mary Carol will leave for college. She is our first to leave home, and it will be a major shift to go from four at home all the time to three.
I share those two things because, yes, they remind us of the passing of time, but also because there is something that connects those two, and it is important for married couples to remember. There is coming a time for the vast majority of couples when you will not have children at home. In the day-to-day of raising children, it can seem as if that is not true, but it is coming.
What are you doing now to prepare for it?
There is an absolute need for you to be husband and wife and not just dad and mom. Spend time together. Continue to date. Have conversations about what you want to do when those days come.
On year 25, we will have both kids still at home. There’s a great chance that, by year 30, we will have none at home. But we will still be a married couple. We need to be ready to use those years to the glory of God and to continue to grow closer to each other.
If all we have done is raise children, that won’t happen. But if we continue to prepare for that “empty nest,” not only will we be blessed, but we can be a greater blessing to more people by a wise and godly use of our time.
AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
